Woods & Perry lead on wet Saturday

Tiger Woods shrugged off a three-hour delay for bad weather to tie for the lead with fellow American Kenny Perry before play was suspended for the day in the third round of the WGC-NEC Invitational on Saturday.

World number one Woods began a wet and wild day at the Firestone Country Club in a share of the lead with Briton Luke Donald and finished it the same way after two lengthy interruptions.

Woods, with three holes to play, and Perry, with one hole left, ended the day on seven-under-par.

One shot back was Irishman Paul McGinley, also with three holes to go.

Australian Stuart Appleby was on five-under with two holes remaining, with Spain's Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal back on four-under.

Olazabal was safely in the clubhouse on 206 having signed for a four-under 66 while Garcia was two-under for the day with two holes remaining.

Woods took advantage of perfect morning conditions as he reeled off three consecutive birdies from the par-five second to reach the turn at three-under.

The U.S. Masters and British Open champion continued his flawless play on the back nine, carding a birdie on the 13th to surge two shots clear of McGinley and Perry.

The sirens then sounded as play was suspended with lightning storms rumbling across the Akron area.

Following a delay of three hours 11 minutes, the players returned to the famous South Course and Woods recorded his first bogey of the day at the 15th while Perry drained a 10-foot birdie putt at the 17th to tie for the lead.

Woods found more trouble on the mammoth 667-yard par-five 16th when he carved his tee shot into the trees on the left.

Perry was lining up a 10-foot putt on 18 which would have given him his fourth successive birdie when the horns sounded again to send the frustrated players and spectators scurrying for cover.

Officials waited until the last minute to try and get the action restarted but finally gave in to the weather and fading light.

The third round will resume at 0730 (1130 GMT) on Sunday morning. The closing 18 holes will begin at 0900.

Briton Lee Westwood, playing the back nine first, produced the round of the day with a seven-under 63.

The former European number one made a blistering start with six birdies on his outward nine for a South Course record of six-under 29.

Westwood continued that momentum with a seventh birdie at the par-five second before finishing with seven pars in a row to close on two-under 208.

It was his best round in the U.S.

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